Engine



5 shetS-sheet 1 ENGINE R. 1 SOUTHERN Filed July` 13, 1927 ZZL-8ou7zern/ INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 11, 1929.

June 1l, 1929. R. L.. SOUTHERN ENGINE Filed July 15, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Jne' l1, 1 929.

R. l.. SOUTHERN 1.716.711

-ENGINE Filed July 13, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 "g-I r A v l? Laux" ,y1/111111111 Q L. 50a/kerry fe d. Jim.

June 1l, 192.9.

WITNESS:

R. L. SOUTHERN Filed July 13 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTOR N EY June l1, 1929- R. L.. SOUTHERN ENGINE Filed-July 15, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 mvENToR WITNESS:

ATTOR N EY Patented `lune l1, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,716,711 PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LEE SOUTHERN, OF LOS ALTOS., CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO Al/LEES MOTORS INCORORATED, OF PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEVADA.

ENGINE.

Application filed July 13, `1927. Serial No. 205,421.

Another object of the invention is to pro-v vide means for forcing a supply of compressed fuel and air into the various cylinders by means of valve controlledkports so that the 'combustible mixture is compressed as it enters the cylinders, Where it is further compressed by the pistons, with means for firing the charge in each cylinder once on every revolution of the shaft, with suction means for drawing the exhaust gases from the cylinders.

This invention, also consists in certain other features of construction and in the'combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

1n describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the engine.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2*2 of Figure 1. n

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

of uprights supported from a suitable base y and having bearings 2 at their upper ends for rotatably supporting a shaft 3. This shaft has connected thereto or formed therewith a plurality of blocks 4t of rectangular shape and each block carries a number of cylinders 5, a cylinder being arranged oneach face of the block. The cylinders are bolted to the blocks. As shown, one of these cylinder carrying blocks is arranged between each pairrof supports and a pair of stationary gears 6 is connected to each support adjacent each blocl A piston 7 is locatedin each cylinder and the piston rod S is connected to a small crank shaft 9 supported by the bearings 10 which are fastened to the end of an adjacent cylinder and each shaft has fastened to each end thereof a gear 11 which meshes with the stationary gear 6. These gears are ofjthe spiral type. 'lhus each block carries four cylinders with the pistons therein, the pistons acting to rotate the crank shafts and the eight gears 11, `Wiich mesh with the stationary gears 6 so that` the gears 11 must revolve around the gears 6 and thus the shaft 3 i and the cylinder carrying blocks will rotate as the pistons are being reciproca'ted' in the cylinders.

The shaft 3 is provided with a central bore 12 which terminates adjacent the last block, and each block is provided with four passages 13 which connect .this bore with the cylinders carried by the block. The forward end of the shaft, through which the bore passes, is connected to a supply pipe 111 by a coupling 15 which permits rotary movement of the shaft 3, and this pipe 11i is connected to a tank 16 into which a compressed mixture of fuel and air is forced from a carbureter 17 by a compressor 18. Thus the explosive mixture is introduced into the cylinders in a compressed state.

That part of the shaft which carries the blocks 4i is enlarged and is formed with four exhaust. passages 19, and each block is forme-d with four exhaust passages 20, each of which connects a passage 19 with a cylinder. These exhaust passages ,merge into a single passage 19 at the rear end of the shaft which leads the exhaust gases to a fan casing 21, the fan 22 of which is connected with the end of the shaft so that when the engine is in operation, a suction will be createdin the exhaust passages which acts to draw the exhaust gases from the` cylinders through the passages in the shaft into the easing`21, from which it escapes through the discharge outlet 23 of the casing. The inlet and exhaust passages leading to each cylinder are controlled by a sli-ding valve 24 which fits in a groove 25 formed in the inner wall of each cylinder, said valve having a port 2G therein which controls the inlet and exhaust passagesi and rEach valve is provided with-ahent outer end Which (ill carries a roller 27 and a spring 28 holds this roller against a cam 29 fastened to the hub of one of the gears ll, the spring 28 being located in the groove 25. rlhus the valves are actuated to open and close the inlet and ein haust passa s by the rotary cams on the crank shafts.

The charge in each cylinder is fired by is of the spark plug 29, carried by each c i, luider coming in engagnnent with the spring contact 3l carried by the arm 32 of insulating material which is fastened to the top of the support l, and this contact is connected to a source of supply by the conductor S53. The charge will be fired when the cylinder e ches its top position so that the cylinders of each block will be fired once every revolution of the shaft.

its shown in Figures 2 and 3, the piston of each cylinder reaches the limit of its compression stroke when the cylinder is in its top posit-ion, and just at this time the spark lll plug comes in engagement with the contact 3l so that the charge is fired. ylhe piston then starts on itspower stroke, the valve remaining closed until the piston reaches the limit of its` power stroke or practically so, when the valve uncovers the exhaust passage so that the er;- haust gases can escape from the cylinder. Then the piston starts its compression stroke and just before this, the valve uncovers the inlet passage so that a charge of compressed mixture will enter the cylinder and then this charge is further compressed by the forwardly moving piston. The valve remains closed from this point until it is moved to exhausting position, for during the compression stroke, and the power stroke, the roller on the cam engages the concentric part of the cam and thus the valve remains in closed position. llVhen the roller engages the high part of the cam, the valve moved to a position to open the exhaust port and thenl when the roller passes over the low part, the valve moved by the spring to a position to open the inlet port.

l provide means whereby some of the groups of cylinders can be rendered inactive by opening their ignition circuits so as to prevent the charges being fired in the cylinders. As shown in Figures and such means comprises a casing 34 carrying the terminals 35 which are arranged in three groups, one group having six terminals therein, the other group four terminals and the third group two terminals. The terminals of the large group are each connected with a contact 3l, the four terminals of the second group being connected with four of the contacts 3l and the two contacts of the thirdv group being connected with two of the contacts 8l.

A cylinder 3G is rotatably mounted in the casing and carries a strip 37 which is electrically connected by the contact 38 with a source of supply. rThe cylinder is provided with a stem 39 to which is secured a knob 4 so that the cylinder can be turned by hand. When the strip 37 is in engagement with the first group of terminals, all of the contacts 3l will be connected to the source so that all the cylinders of the engine will be 'fired as the shaft rotates. vWhen the cylinder is turned to place the strip 37 in engagement with the group containing four terminals, but four of the contacts 3l will be connected with the source so that the cylinders of but four of the sets will. be firing7 the other two sets being idle. lWhen the cylinder is turned to place the strip 37 in engagement with the group containing two of the terminals 35, but two of the sets of cylinders will he lirin while the other four sets will be idle. 'lhus the engine can be controlled to make it operate with more or less power as desired by adjusting the cylinder.

A gear 4l is mounted on the rear end of the shaft 3 and this gear is in mesh with a pinion 42 arranged on a shaft 43 and with a gear 44 arranged on a hollow shaft 45. rl`he shaft 43 has loosely mounted thereon a gear 46 which is adapted to be connected with the shaft by the clutch means 47.

This gear 46 meshes with al pinion 4S attached to a driven shaft 49. shaft carries the gears 50 and 5l. The shaft is formed with a square bore to receive This driven a square part of shaft 54 which passes A through the shaft 45. A pinion 52 is loosely mounted on the shaft 54 and meshes with the gear and the clutch means 53 is provided for connecting the pinion 52 with the shaft 45. The shaft 54 has loosely mounted thereon the pinion which is adapted to be connected with the shaft 54 by the clutch 56. An idle pinion 5T is placed between the pinion 55 and the gear 5l.

y Thus it will be seen that when the shaft 49 is to be driven at high speed from the shaft 3, the clutch 47 is moved into operative position so that the drive will be from the gear 4l through pinion 4:2, shaft 43, clutch 47, gear 4G, pinion 48 to shaft 4S), the

vother gears and pinions idling. lVhen the shaft 49 is to be driven at low speed, the clutch 53 is moved into operative position so that the drive will be from gear 4l, gear 44, shaft 45, clutch 53, pinion 52, gear 50 to shaft 49. lrWhen the shaft 49 is to be driven in a reverse direction from that of shaft l, clutch 5G is moved to operative position so that the drive will be from gear 4l to gear 44, shaft 54, clutch 56, pinions 55 and 57 and gear 5l to shaft 49.

A generator 58 is attached to the forward end of the shaft 3 to generate current for the ignition means and lighting means,` if desired.

By having the means for supplyingl a compressed mixture to the cylinders, the cylin- Zit ders will be kept full of the mixture under compression so that when the engine to be started, it is simply necessary to close the ignition means When those cylinders that are in iiring position will be red and thus start the engine in motion, though if desired, the usual self-starter may be provided for the engine. p Y Any suitable oiling system can be used for oiling the various parts, and if desired, a vacuum tank can be connected with the exhaust passages i9 to help the fan. exhaust the products of combustion from the engine.

l also provide a cooling system which consists in making the spokes of the gears ll in the form of fan blades, as shown at 59, and in forming openings G() in the blocks 4t adjacent the cylinders thereon so that the aii thrown off by the revolving blades 59 will pass through these openings and will strike the Walls of the cylinders and thus cool thek parts which are subjected to heat. If desired, the cylinders may be provided With fins.

While the drawings shoiv the engine formed of three units, each unit consisting of tivo blocks and their cylinders, it Will, of course, be understood that it may be formed of any desired number of units. As each cylinder fires once on every revolution of the engine, there will be eight firing impulses of every unit to one revolution of the main shaft.

lt is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of my invention will be readily apparent.

l desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

villhat I claim is l. An engine of the class 'described coinprising a rotatably supported shaft, a plurality of cylinder blocks carried by the shaft, a cylinder on each face of each block, a piston in each cylinder, a crank shaft on each cylinder to which the piston of another cylinder is connected, gears on each crank shaft, a pair of stationary gears supported adjacent each block and with which the gears of each block mesh so that rotary movement Will be imparted to the shaft and the blocks by the movement of the gears, under the action of the pistons, around the stationary gears, the main shaft having a. passage therein and the blocks having ports therein connecting the passages with the cylinders, means for connecting the passage With a supply of combustible mixture, the shaft having exhaust passages therein and the blocks having exhaust ports connecting` said passages With the cylinders, valves for controlling the exhaust and inlet ports` means for actuating the valves from movable parts of the engine, and ignition means for the cylinders.

Q An engine of the class described comprising a rotatably supported shaft, a plurality of cylinder blocks carried by the shaft, a cylinder on each face of each block, a piston in each cylinder, a crank shaft on each cylinder to Wl 1'ch the piston of another cylinder is connected, sears on each` crank shaft, a pair of stationary gears supported adjacent each block and with which the gears of each block mesh so that rotary movement Will be imparted to the shaft and the blocks by the movement of the gears, under the action of the pistons, around the stationary gears, the main shaft having a passage therein and the blocks having ports therein connecting the passages with the cylinders, means for connecting the passage with a supply of combustible mixture, the shaft having exhaust passages therein and the blocks having' exhaust ports connecting said passages with the cylinders, valves for controlling the exhaust and inlet ports, means for actuating the valves from movable parts of the engine, ignition means for the cylinders, manually operated means for controlling the ignition circuit of the groups of cylinders so as to permit all the cylinders to be fired or to permit certain groups of cylinders to be fired While the others remain idle and transmission means connected with the shaft.

3. An engine of the class described comprising a plurality of supporting means, a shaft rotatably supported by such means, a plurality of rectangular blocks carried by the shaft, a cylinder on each face of each block, a piston in each cylinder, a crank shaft on each cylinder with which the piston rod of an adjacent piston is connected, gears carried by each crank shaft, a plurality of pairs of stationary gears on the supporting means, each pair of gears being arranged adjacent a block so that the gears of ea ch block will mesh with said pair of stationary gears, the main shaft having a passage therein, ports in the blocks connecting the passage with the cylin ders, means for connecting the passage with ra supply of con'ibustihle mixture under compression, the shaft having exhaust passages therein and the blocks having exhaust ports connecting the passages with the cylinders, exhaust means connected With the exhaust passages in the shaft, a valve in each cylinder for controlling the exhaust and inlet ports thereof, cams on the crank shafts for actuating said valves, a spark plug in each cylinder, a spring contact adjacent each group of cylinders and adapted to be engaged by the spark plug` of each cylinder When the cylinder reaches a certain position and means for connecting the spring contacts With a source of supply.

4. An engine of the class described comprising a plurality of supporting means, a shaft rotatably supported by such means, a plurality of rectangular blocks carried by the shaft, a cylinder on each face of each block, a piston in each cylinder, a crank shaft on each cylinder with Which the piston rod of an adjacent piston is connected, gears carried hy each crank shaft, a plurality of pairs ot stationary gears on the supporting` means, each pair ot gears being arranged adjacent a block so that the gears of each block Will mesh with said pair of stationary gears, said main shaft having a passage therein, the blocks having ports therein connecting the passage with the cylinders, means for connecti the passage with a supply of combustible mixture under compression, the shaft having exhaust passages therein and the blocks having exhaust ports connecting the passages with the cylinders, exhaust means connected with the exhaust passages in the shaft, a valve in each cylinder 'for cont-rolling the exhaust and inlet ports thereof, cam means on the crank shafts for actuating the Valves,

a. spark plug in each cylinder, a spring contact adjacent each group of cylinders and adapted to be engaged by the spark plug ot each cylinder when tne cylinder reaches a cert-ain position, means for connecting the spring contacts With a source of supply, such means comprising a casing, a plurality of terminals therein arranged in groups, one group containing as many terminals as there are spring contacts and the other groups containing a less number of terminals, means for connecting the terminals with the spring contacts, a cylinder in thecasing, means for turningl the cylinder hy hand and a strip carried by the cylinder and connected With a source of supply, said strip engaging any one of the grorms oi" terminals When the cylinder is turned.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HUBERT LEE SOUTHERN. 

